Fate and Magic
by CelestialSilver358
Summary: Arthur is the Once and Future King but Merlin isn't the only one who will put him there. I have a lot of chapters in this story but some of them are short chaps!
1. The Last Dragon Lord

**A/N:** It's been a long time; I finally had time to write again! I recently just stated watching Merlin from season 1 onward and I can't stop watching it! So, here's my first attempt of writing again, hope you like it!

I DO NOT own Merlin and it's characters.

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Takes place starting on season 2 episode 13 "The Last Dragon Lord".

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**Chapter 1:**

The Great Dragon has been terrifying Camelot for days, Uther has not found who let the dragon escape or how it got out in the first place. And in his desperate attempt to save his land and his people, Arthur and Merlin set out on their quest to find the last dragon lord, Balinor, just as Gaius had suggested.

As they entered Cenred's kingdom, they were attacked and Arthur was wounded. Determined to save his master and his home, Merlin went on to look for Balinor; he found his dwelling by a cave near a stream. The man helped treat Arthur's wound and gave Merlin a place to sleep for the night but Balinor made it clear that we would not help Uther and his beloved Camelot.

"Uther pursued me like an animal! Why would he not let me be? What is it that I had done that he wanted to destroy the life I had built! Abandon the woman that I loved! And I was forced to come here, to this place! … Let Uther die, let Camelot fall."

"You'd want everyone in Camelot to die?" Merlin asked

"Why should I care?" he answered

"What if, one of them was your son?" Merlin added

"Impossible! Hunith would never do such a thing; she knows who Uther is, she knows what Uther will do just to rid of our kind!" Balinor objected.

"So, you do have a son then?" Merlin asked

Balinor looked at Merlin and nodded, agreeing silently with hurt and grief in his eyes before looking away.

"May I ask what his name is?" Merlin continued

"I… I do not know" Balinor answered still not looking at him, "I never got the chance to give him a name."

"Why?"

"Uther's knight came that night. I had to leave, it wasn't safe for me, or Hunith or my children"

"Ch—children?!" Merlin said in shock

Balinor nodded looking at Merlin for the first time again after hearing the surprise in his voice.

"You had other children?" Merlin asked trying to mask the curiousity in his voice.

"That's enough questions for now boy. Sleep, you and your friend have a long journey back to Camelot tomorrow" Balinor said as Arthur started to stir in his sleep. And with that he lied down and slept.

Merlin tried to sleep that night but the thought of Balinor having another child or children kept him awake. He felt angry and betrayed, is mother never mentioned his father at all when he was growing up, but to hear that he might have a brother or sister is more heart breaking. Why didn't she tell him? He the right to know! All those years growing up feeling alone and lonely and no one to share his thoughts and secrets with and now here he was in front of his father who never knew him or his name and he's the one to tell him about his sibling or siblings!

But if he does have a sibling where is he or she now? How come he or she is not with their father? Does he or she have magic too? Merlin fell asleep that night with these questions in his head.


	2. Helping the Savior

**A/N:** It's been a long time; I finally had time to write again! I recently just stated watching Merlin from season 1 onwards and I can't stop watching it! So, here's my first attempt of writing again, hope you like it!

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That morning, Merlin made up his mind to ask Balinor more about him and his family but he never got the chance, as soon as Arthur awoke and found out that the dragon lord didn't want to help he ordered Merlin to ready the horses so they can get back to Camelot at once.

Arthur and Merlin made camp a few hours later and as they were talking they heard footsteps coming toward them. They drew their swords and looked around.

"Careful boy, I thought you might need some help; this is a dangerous country" Balinor said as Merlin turned.

"So you will return to Camelot with us?" Arthur asked

"You were right Merlin, there are people in Camelot who were willing to lay down their life for me, I owe a debt that must be repaid" Balinor answered.

The 3 ate together and before nightfall, Balinor and Merlin went to collect firewood to be used during the night. They talked about what Balinor did for Arthur, about the old religion, about Ealdor and of course, his mother, Hunith. This was the opening Merlin had been waiting for since last night and so he asked,

"You mentioned, having children in Ealdor?"

"That was a long time ago" Balinor answered

"I grew up there" Merlin stated

"Ealdor?"

"Yes… you mentioned, a woman, Hunith? I know her, she's my mother" Merlin said his voice cracking a bit.

At that point, Balinor who was bending over to pick up a twig looked up at Merlin wide eyed. He then forgot about the wood he was carrying and made his way to Merlin, he was about to hug his son when Arthur walked past them.

Just as Merlin was about to say something they heard a woman scream. All 3 looked at each other before running towards the direction; they drew their swords as they made their way into the forest. As they neared, Arthur stopped them so he can assess the scene; there they saw a band of thieves harassing a young girl.

"Julie" Balinor whispered

"You know her?" Arthur asked

"She's my daughter" he answered looking passed Arthur to Merlin

Merlin understood, he nodded at his father. He then looked at Arthur and waited to give instructions.

"Balinor, you and I wil have to take care of the thieves; Merlin you get the girl and keep her safe. We'll meet you back at camp"

Merlin and Balinor gave a nod of agreement and they jumped out of their hiding place. They caught the thieves off guard and even though there were about 10- 15 men against Balinor and Arthur they were able to defeat them easily.

Merlin and the girl were safely back at the camp when Arthur and Balinor arrived a few minutes later.

"Father!" the girl cried as she got up and ran into Balinor's open arms. Then she turned around and thanked the other 2 men.

"Father, what are you doing here? Who are they?" she asked Balinor

"Julie, this is Arthur Pendragon and Merlin, they came from Camelot in search of me" He answered motioning to the two

"Pendragon?!" Julie cried in surprise looking at Arthur

Arthur made an attempt to say something but he was cut off by Balinor

"It's alright child, he didn't come to execute me. He came to ask for help"

"Help? What kind of help do they need? Surely you wouldn't help the son of the man who shun us!" she said with a huff looking at Arthur to Merlin and Arthur again. "And why did you leave without sending word to me?"

"Julie, if I knew you were coming back today I would've waited for you. But alas, the matter at Camelot cannot wait." Balinor explained to her daughter about Camelot's plight with Kilgharrah and about the people there who he owed his life to. Arthur and Merlin could hear her trying to convince her father it was a mistake helping Uther but after a few minutes, she gave in; she knew her father would not help a Pendragon without good reason, also, she could tell that her father had more to say but he couldn't say it in front of the others and so if there were any doubts left in Julie's mind she kept it to herself. She could ask him about it later tonight.


	3. The Meeting

**A/N:** Sorry it took long to update, school happens . Anyways, I would appreciate reviews! Good and bad are welcome!

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That night, when Arthur went to sleep, Julie went to sit with her father. She was growing impatient, the boy Merlin seemed to have taken a fancy with her father coz he kept talking hurriedly in hushed tones; finally she approached them,

"Father, I need to talk to you" she said and Balinor and Merlin looked up.

"And I, you" he answered.

Julie eyed Merlin wearily, unsure if she should speak about her feelings of helping a Pendragon when Balinor said,

"Julie, remember how when you were growing up I told you about your mother and brother?" Julie looked at him surprised, but she nodded. He never talked about her mother or her brother ever. She remembered how the last time they had this talk, she was about 10 at that time and for the first time she had gathered the courage to ask him about her mother; he told her the whole story of how on the night that she was born they needed to leave because Uther's men were coming for them. But she did not know why he was telling her this now.

"Father… why—?" she started to ask still looking at Merlin warily.

"It's ok, Julie. I know that for the longest time you have longed to know about your mother and your brother, and I know you have hated me for not talking to you about them since you were a child, but that was only because at that time I feared you wouldn't understand. But now you are of age, you would understand now that your mother and I, we only wished to protect you…" he paused and looked at Julie and then Merlin "… both of you"

Julie looked at Merlin in confusion.

"Your mother and I had hoped that one day we would be doing this together; telling both of you the reason why we had to do what we did. But alas, that time might never come, for as long as Uther lives we all cannot be together"

Understanding dawned to Julie at that point as she looked at Merlin once more and saw that he was looking at her with questioning eyes.

"Merlin's my… my brother?" she choked

Balinor nodded.

Julie looked up from her father to her brother, tears streaming down her face now and asked, "Why? "

"When you were born, Uther's men were only hours away from Elador. I was the only one who was supposed to leave that night, but your mother gave birth and the only thought that we had at that time was we had to keep both of you safe, especially you Julie" Balinor explained looking at her.

"Why me?" she asked

"When you were born, you came out glowing; like a soft light was wrapped around you. You're mother and I, we knew you had magic right then and there; those were dangerous times for our kind. Uther was hunting down every single person with magic and with him bearing down on our doorstep a few hours away; we cannot bear to lose you—both of you. And so you're mother decided that I should take you with me, with only one promise, that as long as Uther is alive I will not take you back to her; I needed to keep you safe." he answered

"What about Merlin? Why didn't you take him with us?"

"Merlin, he came out first, we didn't know he had magic at that time. He wasn't wrapped in light like you were" he continued.

"And now? Do you have magic now Merlin?" Julie asked

"Yes," Merlin said "I've had magic for as long as I could remember. In fact, I ended up I Camelot because I had it"

Julie looked at him horrified, "In Camelot? How did you end up in Camelot when magic is banned there? Uther will have your head if he finds out!"

"Our mother sent me there," with this both Julie and Balinor looked at Merlin in surprise "she sent me there to train under Gaius, we don't do magic or anything but sometimes I do, but don't tell him that!" he said with a smile

His smile was so infectious that the father and daughter can't help but smile.

"Magic in Camelot, Uther would be furious if he knew" Balinor said

"The one thing Gaius taught me ever since I stayed with him is to practice with caution and never get caught. I never use magic for anything except for him" Merlin said pointing at Arthur

"Him?" Julie questioned her eyebrow raising.

Merlin was about to tell them the reason when Arthur started stirring.

"You all need to sleep you know, we're only a half a day's ride away from Camelot" Arthur said in a sleepy voice as he turned to his side.

The family looked from Arthur in surprise and then to each other and smiled; had the price heard what they have been talking about? They had no idea but as soon as Arthur had said it, it was as if they had just realized that it was really late, finally Julie yawned and Merlin followed and with a chuckle their father made them go to bed like little children.


	4. The Dragon Lord's Fate

**A/N:** Reviews are welcome. As always, hope you enjoy!

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The next day, Merlin woke startled with Arthur covering his mouth,

"Cenred's men" he whispered harshly as one of the soldiers ran towards them.

Merlin searched for his father sister but they were nowhere to be found as more men started coming at them. One soldier drew his sword and was about to beat him when a sword shielded him, it was Balinor. He fought men that were rushing towards them with Merlin and Julie behind him but soon enough, the soldiers overwhelmed them and Balinor was struck.

"Father!" Julie screamed as she ran towards Balinor's side

"Father," she cried cradling Balinor's head on her lap. "Please, no… please, you can't leave me!"

"Julie," Balinor whispered "Promise me you will be careful…. your powers…. Use them for good …. I—I love you and your brother always"

"Mer—Merlin," Balinor said as he reached his hand up for his son "Take care of her… please… promise me you won't let anything happen to her?"

"I promise" Merlin cried as he took his father's hand and knelt beside him.

"You both listen to me; a dragon's hard is on its right side. I know you too will be able to face this dragon; you'll need each other… I'm proud of you" and with that Balinor took his last breath and was gone.

"We, uh… we need to move. Cenred's men will be back" Arthur said getting their attention

Julie didn't want to move, she didn't want to leave her father's side but Merlin took hold of her, "Julie please, Arthur's right we need to move"

"I'm sorry father. Goodbye" she said as she planted one last kiss on her father's forehead and she let herself be dragged by Merlin.

They rode their horses silently back until Camelot's border when Arthur spoke,

"Camelot is doomed" He said as he looked up at his smoking castle

"Not really" Merlin answered

"Merlin, the last dragon lord is dead. How else can we stop the dragon?"

"He's daughter's here" Merlin stated

It was as if Arthur had just remembered that Julie was there and for the first time since they left the forest clearing he looked at her with desperate eyes, "Can you do it? Will you help us?" he asked

"I will help you Arthur Pendragon, but you have to do one thing for me"

"Anything!" he answered

"You will not tell your father about me; you will tell him that the person you seek died today and there was nothing you can do about it." She said

"But how will you defeat the dragon? My father will surely execute you if you use magic in front of him without him knowing who you are" Arthur stated

"Exactly, I do not trust your father; what is my reassurance that he will not have me executed after I succeeded anyway?" Julie asked

"I assure you; I will not let him hurt you!" Arthur argued

"Arthur, I might be able to help" Merlin said "We will go to your father, tell him we were unsuccessful and you gather some of your most trusted knights and head out to lead the dragon to an open space where Julie is"

"You know very well that my father will not approve of that; he will see right through me!" Arthur disputed.

"Well then my lord, you better put on a good show because that is my condition and you better decide fast because in a few hours the dragon will be baring down on Camelot again." Julie said

Arthur sighed in defeat, he doesn't like lying to his father but he had no choice. So once again the 3 made plans on where to lead the dragon to and when that was settled, Arthur and Merlin went to the King to tell him of their bad news.

About an hour of two, the plan was set into motion; the king was bought Arthur's act and he was easier to convince to let his son go this time around. The knights were able to get Kilgharrah's attention as they rode out to the forest to an open space near Camelot's border; the knights started to position themselves around the great dragon waiting for Arthur's command to attack but as he gave the signal Kilgharrah swished his tail at the knights and they all fell down their horses and were unconscious when they hit the ground. When Merlin and Julie saw this, Julie stepped out of the shadows, looked up at the great dragon and started talking in a different tongue. Arthur looked at her in amazement as the dragon responded to her every word as if his life depended on it, when it was over Arthur got a spear and was about to throw it at the dragon when Julie stopped him.

"No!"

"He must die" Arthur argued

"No, Arthur he doesn't have to. He is the last of his kind; do you really want to be the one responsible for letting his breed die?" Julie asked "Please… just let him go. He will leave, he will never return, he will never bother Camelot again."

Arthur nodded and lowered his spear

"Thank you" she said

A few minutes later, Merlin emerged from the clearing,

"Merlin, where were you? You missed all the action!" Arthur shouted as he walked towards them.

"Oh, you know… I didn't want to be a bother… coz you were doing your hero thing and Julie was doing her thing… I—didn't really want to be in the way…." Merlin mumbled as he looked from his sister to his master with a smile on his face

"Typical you Merlin to be hiding behind the trees cowering while we're off risking our lives!" Arthur said while shaking his head as the 3 headed to the gates of Camelot where Gaius and Gwen were waiting for them.


	5. Brother and Sister

**A/N:** Sorry it took so long, I had exams and other things to do in school the last few weeks! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always, reviews are welcome!

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Gaius bowed to Arthur as he sauntered inside the gates with Merlin; he gave the prince a once over checking for any injuries but after Arthur shook him off and assured the physician he was okay, the old man nodded and turned to where Merlin was; he opened his arms welcoming the young man giving him a quick hug. When Gaius looked up, he noticed a girl standing a few meters from them looking at them a sad smile on her face,

"Merlin, who is that?" Gaius gestured towards her

"Oh," Merlin uttered and walked towards the girl offering his hand to her. Julie looked at him to his offered hand with hesitance and he gave her a reassuring smile. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Gaius"

Merlin introduced Julie to Gaius, pulling him on the side before whispering her true identity to the old man. Gaius looked at him in surprise but recovered quickly remembering his manners and greeted Julie with a smile.

"Well, it has been a long night" Merlin said, "Do you need me to help you with anything before we retire sire?"

"I'll take care of him Merlin, you need to rest too." Gwen answered and Merlin nodded his thanks to her

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Gaius ushered Julie and Merlin inside their living quarters, closed their doors and faced them his mind full of questions. He opened his mouth to try to say something but then decided against it and started again,

"Merlin, Julie, I know you probably don't want to talk about this now but I have to ask—Merlin, you told the King that Balinor died this morning when you came back…" he paused looking at them with a somber expression and not knowing if he should continue

"You see, your parents and I, we have been friends for a long time; I was the one who sent Balinor to Ealdor—to your mother to help him escape from Uther. Granted, those times were dangerous that's why I did not dare try to contact them for fear that I may endanger their lives but I never knew how they felt for each other. And Yunith never said anything until the letter she sent with you Merlin" he paused again, "I don't know how to put this…"

"You want to know about me—my side of the story" Julie stated matter of factly

"Yes, if you don't mind" Gaius answered relieved that Julie was the one who said it.

"Well, I'm with Gaius" Merlin added trying to lighten the mood a bit. He doesn't want to relive the events of this morning but knowing how Gaius is, he won't be able to let this go until they have told him everything. And even though he has heard the story from his father a couple of days ago; he needed reassurance again just to prove that he was not dreaming, that he did have a father for those few precious hours in the woods and that he is reunited with the family he had never known. "I mean, a few days ago I never knew I still had a father much more a sister" Merlin shrugged.

Julie held her breath, she knew this talk was bound to happen but she didn't realize it was going to be this soon. She took another deep breath to steady herself, she felt her heart constrict a bit and tears tried to prickle her eyes at the memory of her father; she blew out slowly and started the story that her father had told her when she was younger—the story that he never dared talk about again no matter how much she pleaded, until only a few days ago.

"From what my father told me while I was growing up, we are twins Merlin" she started regarding Merlin

"The night we were born, my—err, our father had to leave with me because of Uther and his men. He said when I came out after you there was this soft golden light wrapped around me, it was subtle at first but he said whenever I cried it glowed much stronger. It was unnatural and it scared them because they knew right then that I had magic; he couldn't risk leaving me with you and our mother for fear of what Uther will do to us so we ran" she paused remembering the night she and her father had this conversation many years ago.

"He ran until he cannot run anymore. Growing up we never had a stable home; we moved from kingdom to kingdom, until Uther finally just gave up searching for him. One night during our journey father became very ill and he started talking in his sleep that was the only time he mentioned about you and our mother; it took me a few days to have courage to ask him during one of our sparring training—"she looked up and saw both of their eyes grow bigger in surprise, she smiled, "Yes, Balinor trained me on how to wield a sword and control my magic" she explained

"What happened when you asked Balinor of your mother and brother?" Gaius asked

"It took some time for him to tell me anything but I was young then 12 or 13 at the most and I had the hardest head in the world he said, for I cannot let it go" she paused smiling at the memory, "So when he finally did he told me of my mother he said that she was the kindest and gentlest person he ever knew; he told me of Ealdor and how he could have made a life there with the woman he loved, he told me of Uther and how he hated our kind and how he drove us out of the only place where we could have a family and he told me of a brother he wished he saw grow up into the strong man he knew he would be" she said staring into space.

"Why didn't you come back after Uther stopped chasing you?" Merlin interjected

"I—I don't know" Julie shrugged thinking of the right explanation, rationalizing her father's actions back then, "I guess it's because growing up, my magic was out of control. Father never felt safe anywhere until I was able to hone it, even when Uther stopped chasing us he never felt it was safe for us that's why we stayed in that cave for so long, away from prying eyes and blabbering mouths"

"And then what happened?" Merlin asked

"And then, he told me to stop asking questions about the life we could have had." She elucidated, "And I did. Partly because it hurt to see my father suffering and partly because it hurt to know of a mother and a brother I would never meet"

"I'm sorry" Merlin mumbled

"For what?" Julie asked confused

"I was here for so long living a good life and you were stuck in a cave somewhere fighting off thieves and who knows what in that forest!" Merlin exclaimed feeling angry partly of himself and partly at his mother for not telling him about his father and sister

Julie saw the hurt and anger in her brothers eyes, "Merlin, don't blame yourself for anything I didn't have. You didn't know about me, about us; I'm sure our parents had their reasons of not telling us the truth and now fate has it's reason for bringing us together" she said holding out her hand to her brother and he took it.

"We're together now, that's all that matters" she added and Merlin nodded calming down a bit and giving his sister who was smiling at him a half smile.


	6. Stay

**A/N:** I'm not sure if I'm living up to people's expectations of this story. I mean, I get the occasional favorites and alerts but not much of reviews to motivate me. So, let me know what you think please! I would love more reviews. :)

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The next morning, Merlin sauntered into the prince's room carrying the latter's breakfast

"Good morning!" he greeted as he opened the heavy curtains to let the sun in

"Mmm?" Arthur mumbled as he raised his head from the pillow glaring at Merlin

"Come on," Merlin said as he clapped his hand together to rouse the prince from his bed "You have a big day today"

"What big day? There's nothing going on today—is there?" the prince asked confused

"Yes there is!" Merlin answered turning to face the prince as he prepared Arthur's food on his table "Oh, wait… You didn't know?"

"Know what Merlin? Just spit it out!" the prince grumbled, crawling out of bed.

"A new group of recruits came in this morning; you're going to have to sort out your new knights" Merlin said with a smile as he picked and prepared his master's clothes and laid it on the bed and started to walk out of the room when Arthur stopped him.

"Do you have somewhere you needed to be?" he asked one eyebrow raised at the boy.

"Oh…" Merlin answered, "Did I forget to tell you? I'm helping Julie get settled in at Gaius' quarters. She'll be staying with us for a while" he continued.

Arthur choked on his juice upon hearing this, "WH—what?!" he sputtered

"Are you crazy?!" he whispered rather harshly at Merlin "Father will have all your heads if he finds out who—or what she is!"

"First, 'She' is a person you don't have to be rude as to refer to her as 'what' and second, you said it yourself sire, 'IF' your father finds out," the boy answered looking smugly at the prince. "Please, she doesn't have anywhere to go, her father died; she doesn't have any family left! Come on Arthur, she helped save Camelot!" he continued now with a pleading tone.

Arthur didn't say answer as he appeared deep in thought,

"Arthur please, I promised her father I would take care of her… I swear I will help her fit in! She won't do or practice magic! … Arthur? Sire!" Merlin appealed, continuing to blabber all the reasons why his sister needed to stay in Camelot.

Finally, the young prince gave an exasperated sigh, "Fine! Just make sure she doesn't do anything stupid like magic or something!" he said giving Merlin a stern look and the boy nodded.

Merlin gave out a sigh of relief as he walked out of Arthur's room, he wasn't really sure that the prince would agree to his plea when he went to his room this morning; but he needed to at least try in order for his sister to stay. As he neared Gaius' quarters he smiled, if he wasn't mistaken, this could help be the turning point of Arthur's belief in magic.

"You can stay" Merlin said as soon as he stepped into his living quarters where Gaius and Julie were seated waiting for his return. As he said this, Julie ran towards him and hugged him.

"Thank you" she mumbled against his collar.

"Welcome to the family" Gaius said as he strides toward them to join in the hug.

"There is one condition though," Merlin continued and his sister gave him a questioning look. "You mustn't let Uther or anybody know who you are or that I am your brother and what you can do; that means no magic—at least not where everybody can see"

"Of course" Julie agreed "Anything else?" Merlin shook his head

"Now that's settled, " Gaius said, "We need to come up with a story that everybody will believe about how you came to be here Julie, and we might need to find you a suitable job while you're here."

"I can help you here Gaius? I mean, since my brother will be busy saving the life of our prince he won't have much time to help you visit patients and make potions" she explained

"That would be a great idea my dear. Thank you" Gaius agreed

"No, thank you!" Julie said smiling up at her brother.

"To both of you" she continued looking at and reaching her hand to both men. She may have lost her father, but she has gained a brother and a new father-figure in the process; _maybe Camelot isn't such a bad place to start after all_ she thought.


	7. She's Back

**A/N:** I'm not sure if I'm living up to people's expectations of this story. I mean, I get the occasional favorites and alerts but not much of reviews to motivate me. So, let me know what you think please!

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All have been quiet in Camelot as days have gone into months and turning to a year; no dragons have attacked, no creature appeared, no whisper of magic was heard until one day,

"Gaius! Gaius!" Merlin came running to their quarters and Julie and Gaius looked up directly at the scared looking boy standing in front of them

"What happened?" Julie said as she rushed to her brother

"We found her! She's back!" Merlin said almost incoherently

"Who's back Merlin?" Gaius asked as Julie guided her brother to a stool

Merlin was about to answer them when a knock was heard and all three looked up

"Gaius, the king requests your presence at lady Morgana's chambers" the guard announced. Gaius nodded and looked at Merlin before turning to get his medical bag and followed the guard out of the room.

"Merlin? What happened?" Julie asked her brother in a concerned tone

Merlin looked up at his sister still unable to speak, a million thoughts rushing through his mind.

"Come, I'll make you tea and you can tell me all about it" Julie said as she stood up to make some tea; a few minutes later she handed a cup to her brother and sat next to him in silence but gave him a questioning look as if asking for permission. Finally, Merlin sighed and started to tell her the story of how he needed to poison her for Camelot to be saved.

"So, she has come back. I know Morgana's your friend Merlin but we might need to be weary of her actions from now on; I've met people like Morgause in my travels with father, they may not be as powerful as her but I know how they can influence people"

"Morgana's not like that. She was different when I met her" Merlin defended

"And she's different now. I know I'm not in the position to tell you who she is. You know her better but please, you need to be careful with her" Julie said looking at her brother with pleading eyes and Merlin nodded

Gaius came in a few minutes later and merlin stood up rushing towards the old man

"Have you talked to her? Has she said anything?" Merlin asked hurriedly

"Nothing yet" Gaius answered

"She will now" Merlin said

"Does she know your secret Merlin? Does she know of your powers?" the old man asked

"No she doesn't, no one does! But she knows I tried to poison her"

"You had no choice! Camelot was dying and she was the source of the enchantment" Gaius told him

"What do you think Uther will do to me?" Merlin asked

"Let's just see what tomorrow brings" Gaius said in dismissal

Julie stood up from where she was sitting and went to her brother, "I will not let anything happen to you" she promised as she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.


	8. New Day, New Job

**A/N:** Hope everyone likes it! Tell me what you think!

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The next day, Julie went to visit Gwen very early. She and Gwen have become good friends since Merlin introduced her to the servant girl when she first came to Camelot.

"Julie! How are you?" she greeted as she opened her door to let the other girl in

"I'm doing well, I won't be staying long since I know you have a lot of things to do with lady Morgana being back" Julie said

"Yes, I'm so glad she's home and she's safe. You have no idea how worried I was when she was lost…" Gwen rumbled on for a few minutes about the lady Morgana the suddenly she stopped, "I—I'm sorry I've been rumbling on and on about her I didn't even ask you why you came to visit"

Julie smiled at Gwen "It's ok, I just needed a favor"

"What is it?" Gwen asked

"I know this isn't a great time but I was wondering if you could ask lady Morgana if I can be one of her servant girls?" she asked and Gwen gave her a confused look

"I know you have that as a full time job and I don't want to take it from you but, I haven't been doing much in Gaius shop lately and I can see that he's having a hard time with having to feed Merlin and me and I just needed an extra job. I can be your alternate if she gives you time off... please?" Julie explained. Guinevere looked at her for a long time before smiling and said,

"I'm sure lady Morgana wouldn't mind that. I will talk to her"

"Thank you!" Julie said smiling back at her friend, "I won't keep you anymore, thank you Gwen. I will owe you a lot for this one" she said and stepped out into the cold morning and headed back to her living quarters.

Gaius was up when she got back and he was making breakfast

"Where have you been so early child?" he asked

"Oh, I went to visit Gwen before she started her duties in the castle" she explained smiling at Gaius and started helping him to prepare breakfast

"Oh?" he said looking at her expecting more explanation

"I asked her if she could ask Morgana if I could work for her too" she continued

"Oh," the old man replied sounding a bit disappointed

"Oh, Gaius, I'm not going to stop helping you." She explained "I just need to keep an eye on my brother" she whispered giving the old man a look of concern and he understood right away what the girl meant and nodded. He figured Merlin must have told her about Morgana and Morgause and he was worried enough for Merlin, maybe sending another set of eyes with magic can't hurt.

"Go wake your brother up so we could eat, he's going to be late for work again and we all know how the prince feels about him being late again. And we have a lot of things to do today, I made a list of herbs you need to gather for me" Gaius said.

"Gaius?" she said and the old man looked up

"May I go with you when you visit lady Morgana later? I would like to meet her" the girl asked

"Of course dear, I think it's time for you to meet the King's ward especially since you might be working for her soon" he said with a wink

"What are you to so happy about?" Merlin mumbled

"Breakfast!" the other two answered in unison looking at each other and at Merlin

Merlin gave them a confused look before shaking his head and sitting down to have breakfast.

After eating, Merlin and Julie headed out on their usual routine with Merlin walking his sister to the gate, telling her to be careful, fixing the hood of her cloak on her head and giving her shoulders a squeeze before heading towards the castle's kitchen to fetch Arthur's breakfast.

"You're late" Arthur greeted sternly as Merlin stepped into his room

"Sorry" Merlin said setting the prince's breakfast on the table

"What? No excuse today?" Arthur asked

"Oh, you want that one? Ok, the kitchen was taking a long time to cook your food" the servant boy answered in a serious tone

"You know Merlin, I'm not blind!" Arthur said annoyed

"What are you talking about?" Merlin asked as he fixed the bed

"You like Julie don't you?" Arthur asked bluntly

Merlin stumbled on his way from the bed to the window to open it "wh—what?!"

"oh, come on. Don't you think I know why you're always late? I see you walk her towards the gate every other day, doing the same routine of fixing her cloak before coming here; the window doesn't lie you know" he said with a chuckle

"You got it all wrong, I don't like her" Merlin defended

"sure you don't!" his master said with a wink

"Yes, I'm sure I don't" he answered again

"deny all you want Merlin, but like I said, I can see it. Don't worry I won't tell anyone" Arthur said with a chuckle as he got up from the table and started getting ready

"Don't you have something else to do?" Merlin told his master

"like what? Tell you what people are seeing about you and Julie? Oh and get you to do your chores? Ok, I need you to clean my room, do my laundry, polish my armor after I train the nights, shine all my boots and muck out my horses got it?" the prince ordered as he stepped out of his room

* * *

"Good morning my lady, how are you feeling?" Gaius greeted Morgana

"Gaius! It's so good to see you. I am feeling better today thank you" she greeted back with a smile

"I have prepared your medicine for today" the physician said looking at Morgana and motioning for Julie to put the vial on top of the dresser next to her bed

"And who is this?" Morgana asked looking at Julie and smiling

"May I present to you my assistant, Julie" Gaius explained and Julie bowed

"Julie? Are you the girl who wants to be Gwen's alternate? She asked me about it this morning"

"Yes my lady" Julie answered smiling at Morgana and then at Guinevere who was standing on the ward's bedside

"well, I can see why she thinks you would be a good servant to me" Morgana mentioned eyeing the girl as Julie held her breath "so yes, you can help Gwen around , you can start tomorrow" Morgana answered

Julie's face lit up "thank you lady Morgana, you won't regret hiring me"

"I'm sure I won't" Morgana answered with a smile.

"Well, my lady we should be going now. We still have a lot of patients to visit but if you are feeling anything out of the ordinary please just send for me" Gaius said bowing

"Thank you Gaius and it was very nice meeting you Julie" Morgana said and Julie bowed before turning to follow Gaius out the door.

"Congratulations on getting the job my dear" Gaius whispered to Julie outside and Julie looked at him with a smile.

Julie sighed in relief, she wasn't sure Morgana would hire her but now she can breathe easier knowing that she will be able to monitor Morgana and keep her brother safe. She couldn't wait for her brother to hear her news; she was so happy that she prepared dinner for the three of them that evening so they can celebrate, but as dinner rolled around Merlin did not show. She was getting restless that night but Gaius put her mind at rest telling her that he might have just spent the night in the castle helping Arthur since the young prince have been very busy assuming his role as a leader since his father became ill or Merlin could've just been running late and will come home later.

"Now, go to bed. I'm sure he's alright" Gaius said pushing the girl gently towards her room. He waited until she close the door behind her before settling down to sleep on his cot outside.


	9. And So It Begins

A/N: No infringement intended. I do not own Merlin just the plot and one character in this story! Enjoy, and tell me what you think!

* * *

That night, Julie was startled awake; she felt magic being cast, she tried to look and feel for the source but it was too far for her reach and she hasn't trained that much since her father died that her magic felt out of her reach sometimes. After her father's death she had noticed that her magic have been amplified especially after meeting Kilgharrah; but it wasn't only her, her brother had noticed it too. Who wouldn't notice it when a little sneeze could bring down Gaius' leech tank? Needless to say Gaius had advised them to practice reining their magic in or Uther will all have their heads! But with what has been happening in Camelot ever since Morgana's return, Julie and Merlin had little time to practice.

'_Merlin!'_ Julie thought as she leaped out of bed and stepped out of her room.

Gaius was in deep sleep on his bed in the corner but when Julie looked at Merlin's bed, it was still made; she told herself that he must've slept in the castle but there was this feeling at the pit of her stomach that told her she was lying to herself. As she walked back into her room another she felt another jolt of magic but this time it felt like there were chains wrapped around her and she couldn't breathe; the tightening in her body lasted for a few minutes and when it released her she hurriedly dressed to look for her brother. She went into the servant quarters next to Prince Arthur's room but when she saw it empty, she knew that the magic that had been cast was not her brother's. she stood there for a few minutes trying to calm herself, to concentrate her powers into finding him; as her breaths started evening out she saw herself in the forest and in front of her was her brother tide up in chains with a blonde lady standing over him before throwing him down to the ground and the woman turned to face Morgana they smiled at each other before turning to leave.

'_NO!' _Julie thought as she opened her eyes and started running towards the gates, she had to make a few stops to avoid the guards but she soon reached the forest clearing

"Merlin!" she called out but got no reply. She started running deeper towards the forest although she had no idea where she was going. She kept calling out to her brother but she didn't get any reply back until she felt a small surge of magic to her right and she started running towards the direction. When she reached the clearing, she saw her brother surrounded by serkets and he was fighting off a group of them on his left when one of the creatures stung him on his back.

"No!" Julie shouted sending the creature flying on the opposite side of the clearing. She ran towards her brother cradling his head

"Brother, wake up! Please, open your eyes" she called as tears streamed down her face

"Julie" he said in a strained voice "it's Morgana and Morgause"

"Hush, save your strength" she whispered, she tried to break the chains around him but when she tried with magic it held tighter to his brother body. More serkets were making their way to the clearing and the color was leaving her brother's face when she summoned Kilgarrah; it didn't take the great dragon to arrive and as soon as he did he breathed fire towards the serkets

"We don't have much time young one, climb on my back" he ordered Julie and she did. Kilgarrah grabbed Merlin careful not to scratch him with his talons and flew away.

When they finally landed, Kilgharrah put Merlin down on a cave's mouth and closed his eyes for a few seconds and breathed on him, as he did this, the enchanted chains holding Merlin melted away. Merlin stirred a little and color went back to his cheeks. Julie breathed in relief checking his brother's temperature; she then took his brother's neckerchief and held it under a stalactite to soak in the cold water dripping from it to put on Merlin's forehead.

"I didn't think you would answer my call" she said facing Kilgarrah

"Julie, I couldn't ignore a dragon lord's call even if I wanted to" the great dragon explained

"Thank you" she said sitting next to her brother

"What happened?" Kilgarrah asked

"Morgana and Morgause" Julie answered and Kilgarrah nodded in understanding

"It was fortunate that you found him or it would have been too late for him" he said

"How is it that I could feel it? Ever since I met you my magic seemed to have grown stronger" the girl asked the dragon

"You are a piece of the puzzle young one, it is not me who made you stronger; it was him" He nodded towards Merlin. "When you met your brother the bond that connected you to each other at birth was reawakened; you have always been and forever will be bonded by your magic, one cannot be without the other. It has always been your fate to meet again, because without you he will never be able to fulfill his destiny with Arthur; without you, Albian will never be" the dragon ensued.

"But what about Morgana and Morgause magic? I was awakened by it." Julie inquired

"In some ways that you and Merlin are connected, they too have this bond; but beware of the witches, for they will be you and your brother's undoing; for after Merlin saved Morgana from death, your futures have intertwined. They are the darkness to your light and the hatred to your love."

Julie pondered for a few moments what the great dragon has said, looking at the far off distance towards the horizon where Camelot stands.

So it has begun, the unforeseen destiny that her father had always talked about; why he trained her all those years with a sword on her hilt, helped her hone her magic but never really used it for anything and raised her under strict orders to only use her magic when necessary and only for the good of the people who surround her. He had always told her that she was born with magic for a reason when she rebelled against it; she never understood any of it until now. There were so much at stake as everything dawned to her; Camelot needed her, Arthur needed her, but most importantly Merlin—the brother she longed to meet ever since her father told her about the family they left in Ealdor and who shares the same destiny as her—needed her.

She looked at her brother who was in deep sleep as she stroked his cheek.

'_From the moment I met you I have never understood why you always had to put Arthur Pendragon first before your safety, even risking exposing yourself by using magic in Uther's kingdom just to save his son, when Uther himself would slay our kin without question just to rid himself of our magic and our kind! But now I know how it feels to be called upon by your duty and your destiny. Know this brother, as you protect the once and future king of Camelot, you will never be alone anymore; I will always be there by your side'._


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: No infringement intended. I do not own Merlin just the plot and one character in this story! Enjoy!

* * *

It took hours for Merlin to stir

"You shouldn't have let me sleep!" he said as soon as he woke

"I didn't have a choice young warlock, the serket's venom was too strong even for your great powers" KIlgarrah answered.

"We don't have time, we need to get back to Camelot" he said offering his hand to his sister to help her rise.

"You're not yet fully recovered Merlin and it's more than 3 days walk" the great dragon declared

"Who said anything about walking?" Merlin smirked, looking at his sister and she beamed at him in response.

Kilgarrah looked at them in surprise and then exasperation but he offered his back and they hopped on and travelled to Camelot.

"This is as far as I go" Kilgarrah announced setting them down in a clearing near the castle

"Thank you" Merlin expressed looking up at the dragon

"Be careful young ones, the battle for Camelot has just begun; you two must be strong for Arthur's destiny and the future of Albion lies in your hands" the dragon warned and Merlin nodded in response.

"We need to get Gaius" Merlin said as he ran through the dark castle corridors to their quarters

"Merlin, what happened?" Julie asked trying to keep with her brother

"I'll explain everything when we see Gaius" he said as he reached their door and rushed to Gaius sleeping form shaking him to wakefulness.

"Merlin, Julie where have you two been?" Gaius asked looking up at the two as soon as he woke.

"We don't have time to explain, we need to see the King" Merlin said offering Gaius his robe

"What are you doing?" the old man asked in confusion

"Morgana and Morgause, they're in league together and they're the ones responsible for the King's visions; there's something I need to show both of you" the warlock explained.

The three of them rushed to the king's chambers and when they opened it, they saw Uther huddled sobbing in one corner,

"Uther?" Gaius whispered trying to get his attention but Uther did not respond he just looked past Gaius in fear, holding on to the physician like his life depended on it. At this Merlin rushes to get the mandrake under the king's bed and threw it on the fireplace.

"It was an enchantment sire," Gaius explained to the King "Come, you must rest" he continued as he and Merlin helped the king up and into his bed.

"We must tell Uther what Morgana has done" Merlin said when they were all back in their quarters

"Are you mad? He'll have our head if we make such accusations" Gaius answered

"Gaius is right brother; you've seen how blind he is to her faults. We need to tread carefully on how we handle this" Julie added

"Besides, the root is gone now; it can't do any more harm" Gaius added

"You don't understand, I've heard Morgana and Morgause there is more to the plan" Merlin stated

"Speaking of the plan, where have you two been?" Gaius asserted giving the twins a demanding look

The two looked at each other out of words to explain their absence

"I—"Merlin mumbled

"I was dying" he said still looking at his sister, smiling at her like they were sharing their own private inside joke.

* * *

A/N: thoughts? Still liking the flow of the story? … Sorry it took so long!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N:So I kinda decided that I'm going to make Julie's life a bit more interesting in Camelot. Some people might like it, some people might not. But that's alright; all I want is for you to enjoy my story, so I hope you don't mind the OOC feel.

* * *

The next day, Arthur and the members of the court were gathered around Sir Leon who reported seeing Cenred's army around Camelot's border.

"We estimate that he will reach the city within two days" Sir Leon reported

"I fear the news about the king's illness might have reached beyond our borders, Cenred might be seizing his opportunity" Gaius implied

"And we must find a way to appease him" Sir Leon agreed

"If I know what my father would do he wouldn't bow to his enemies" the Prince argued

"Forgive me sire, but we are out numbered 2 to 1" the physician implored

"I won't show weakness Gaius! There's only one thing we can do" the young prince contended, "We must prepare the city for siege" he announced sitting on his father's chair addressing his court.

After giving the orders and telling his knights to open the gates for the lower town's people; Arthur made his way to his room to prepare for the battle that is to come. He was sitting by his desk staring out unto the square where he can see his people pouring from the lower towns into the city when a knock came,

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Guinevere trailed off looking at the prince

"No, no please come in" He said looking at her with a welcoming smile

Even though the young prince was smiling, Guinevere saw through him, he was worried and knowing him it is not for his safety, it was more for his people and what his father would think of him and his decisions upon his absence.

"You have to have more faith in yourself Arthur, "she said "I believe in you more than anybody else in the world"

Arthur did not say anything; he looked at her and held her hand for what seemed like forever; willing her to read his mind. He had never felt anything like this for a girl before, he wanted to kiss her to reach for her and tell her how he felt but he knew that nothing can ever become of them, his father would never approve of it.

After what seemed like hours, Guinevere broke their silence "I should go sire"

"There's no need to call me that" he said watching her leave

She turned around and said, "There is every need, sire" and with that she curtsied and left the room with Arthur looking longingly at her.

Cenred's army was only a few hours away the next day; everybody was busy preparing for the battle; after talking to Sir Leon, Arthur went to spend time at his father's side; it only seemed lie he was there for a few minutes until Merlin came and fetched him.

"Sire" Merlin addressed the young prince, "it's time"

Arthur looked at the young warlock and nodded, taking a deep breath he stood up and gave his father one last look saying,

"I promise I will not let you down"

Merlin was putting his master's armor on when the prince broke his silence

"It's not like you to be nervous," he told the boy

"I'm not nervous" the boy replied

"No?" the prince asked

"No," he said turning to get the prince's sword on the table "because I trust in your destiny"

At this, the young prince looked at his servant quizzically

"It's your fate to be the greatest king Camelot has ever known;" the boy said handing the prince's sword to him "You're victory today will be remembered by generations"

"There are times Merlin when you speak of some sort of—"the prince trailed, "wisdom" he finished

Merlin looked at him with a smile,

"Well don't look so pleased" Arthur said, "most of the time you're still a complete idiot"

And with that the prince left his room to take his post with his army at his side.

Gaius, Julie and Gwen were all busy turning one of the halls of the castle an infirmary for those wounded in battle. Gwen was busy putting on sheets for the makeshift beds while Gaius was checking if all his medicines and herbs are complete. Julie was running back to their quarters to get more supplies when she ran into Arthur in the hallway; it was their first meeting in months.

"Ow" she cried when she bumped into him—or rather, his armor and he steadied her

"Are you alright?" he asked concern etching his brow

"Sire" she said steadying herself, holding on to his arms

"You know, it would be a shame if we start a war and one of our lead healers is injured" he said amusement in his voice

Julie blushed, she was about to come up with a retort when he asked, "Where are you going?"

"Oh, I have to get more supplies for the infirmary in Gaius storage" she explained still pink

"Well I should let you get to that then" he replied smiling at her

"And I shall let you get to your post, my lord" she replied shyly smiling at him

He smiled back, nodding his agreement but didn't move.

"Uh, Julie?" He uttered

"Yes my lord?" she answered

"Um, I would need my arm to get to my post" he stated looking at her to her hand that was still clutching his arm amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Oh, oh, sorry" she replied her eyes widening as she let go of his arm

"Now, make sure you don't run into any more armor" he said to her smiling as he continued walking but before he turned the corner he saw her blush once more.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: So I kind of decided that I'm going to make Julie's life a bit more interesting in Camelot. Some people might like it, some people might not. But that's alright; all I want is for you to enjoy my story!

* * *

The battle started, many were wounded right away when Cenred's army used a catapult to weaken the first line of soldiers .Merlin ran to the infirmary to check on Gaius and his sister, upon spotting Morgana there he pulled Gaius and Julie to one side and said,

"One of us needs to look out for her" and the other two nodded

"Don't worry I am" Julie replied

"I must get back to Arthur" Merlin stated rushing out in search for the prince.

When he saw him, Arthur was pulling Uther away from the advancing enemy calling out to his men to retreat.

"Forbearnan" Merlin casting a fire wall burning some of Cenred's men who were in pursuit of the knights

"You must get back to the lower towns" Uther commanded his son who was guiding him away from the fight

"The lower towns is lost father" Arthur answered

"And the Citadel?" the king asked

"It's safe for now. You must rest!" the young prince declared, "when you wake you will still have a kingdom, I promise you that"

"Take care of him Merlin" he ordered his servant and the boy nodded guiding the king towards the infirmary

Once there he and Gaius helped the king to one of the beds and Julie and Gwen rushed to tend to his wounds

"Where's Morgana?" Merlin asked the old man

"She was here a while ago and then she vanished" he explained, hearing this Merlin rushed to find the witch.

Julie was looking at her brother the entire time, and when he left rushing out she gave Gaius a look and he mouth Morgana's name. Her eyes widened in panic, scanning the room she couldn't find her; hadn't noticed the witch was gone.

"Will you be okay here?" Julie asked Gwen finishing the dressing on the king's leg and when the other girl nodded her response, Julie rushed to following her brother out of the room.

As she was running after her brother, an intense force pushed her back; feeling the surge of magic through her veins she called out in panic.

"Merlin!" when she didn't get an answer she closed her eyes, concentrated on the stream of magic she was feeling to get a location. When she opened her eyes she ran like she never ran before towards the catacombs below the castle.

* * *

"Merlin! Where the hell have you been?" Arthur demanded as he saw the warlock rushing out towards the square. "Come on Merlin you can do better than that!" he demanded when his servant boy did not answer. Merlin pointed behind him lost for words and when the prince turned and army of skeletons holding a sword were walking towards them. The two men started fighting the skeletons but it was no use,

'_How can they kill something that's already dead?!' they thought_

Rushing back up where Merlin came, Arthur commanded the warlock to tell Gaius to seal the hospital; it took a minute for Merlin to process what the other man was saying and he ran back to the hospital.

"Gaius, you have to seal of the hospital; Morgana summoned an army of the dead, they're everywhere" Merlin warned his mentor

"Where are you going?" Gaius asked

"To try and stop her" the servant boy answered heading out where he came

* * *

On her way to the catacombs, Julie met the skeleton soldiers she tried fighting them off with a sword she picked up from the square but one of the undead dead knocked her down.

"Wáce ierlic!" she incants throwing a couple of skeletons across the room smashing it on the wall; she continued this onslaught until the hall was littered with bones. As soon as she got her balance back she got up and ran down the stairs towards where she knows Morgana will be.

When she got there she heard voices arguing, it was Merlin pleading with Morgana to stop the attack but she was unmoved. Julie wanted to run to him but she remembered her promise to her brother, to never give away any connection between them; so she hid herself in one of the tall pillars that surround the room and waited for her chance to strike. Behind Morgana, Julie noticed a staff embedded on the ground; she can feel magic coursing through it and she knew that must have been what Morgana used to awaken the dead.

"It doesn't have to be like this" Merlin pressed, "We can find another way"

"There is no other way" Morgana replied

Julie can see Merlin backing away from Morgana but she wasn't senseless, she knew what he was doing and as soon as Merlin lunged for the staff. The witch knocked off his sword and pointed hers on his neck

"What are you going to do? Kill me?" he questioned backing away from her

"You don't think I can?" the witch asked

"Whatever you're going to do, you better do it quick" he replied and he grabbed his fallen sword. The fight between Merlin and Morgana was on and Julie used this opportunity to get closer to the staff without being seen.

Morgana still had her back to the staff and when they paused, Merlin saw Julie behind one of the pillars; he looked at her and then to the staff and she nodded as if reading his mind. Julie was about to run to the staff when Morgana knocked off Merlin's sword from his hand, she continued her onslaught missing Merlin by a few inches until he fell on his back

"Feoll bu brand" Julie whispered her eyes glowing gold and the ceiling of the chamber bursts, the debris hitting Morgana rendering her unconscious. As soon as she was down Julie ran towards the staff,

"Sneedes" she invoked and sliced the wood in half; another surge of power went through her and then it was gone. She ran to her brother and he clasped her into his arms. As soon as he was able, she helped Merlin up

"We have to go" She insisted

"Morgana" he whispered looking at her limp body under the debris

"We'll check on her later; for now we have to go Morgause could be here any minute. If we feel the staff's power she might have felt that it was destroyed!" she implored her brother to move

Up at the square the enemy's army was retreating. Without the help of the skeleton army to distract them the knights of Camelot have become stronger in driving away the enemies and soon the battle was over.

* * *

The next day the king ordered for his court to meet him in the throne room,

"Sire," Merlin addressed Arthur as they walked in "I have to tell you something about Morgana"

"It's alright Merlin, we know" he answered

"You know?" Merlin asked quizzically but got no more than that until

"In my time we have won many battles, but none as important as this—"Uther addressed his court,

"Every man, woman and child has done their part and I salute you all before the battle we knew there was a traitor in our midst, one that was almost the undoing of all of us. However, we must thank the one person who outwitted them and who almost single-handedly turned the battle—"he paused for effect "the lady Morgana"

Everyone was clapping and Merlin, Julie and Gaius looked at each other wide eyed in surprise

"For it was she who destroyed the magical vessel. We must be vigilant, we must stand firm against the dark forces of magic" the king continued

Morgana eyed Merlin and he stared at her unblinking.

* * *

"Why is he so blind to her true nature?" Merlin asked Gaius over supper

"I don't know Merlin." He answered shaking his head, "but Morgana will try again"

"We'll be ready for her" Merlin said deeming his sisters presence and she gave him a nod

"You two must be careful" Gaius stated

"I'm not afraid of her Gaius" he retorted, "All I feel for her is pity, she's become so full of hate"

"Don't let that happen to you" Gaius responded looking at Merlin, "both of you" he continued regarding Julie too with questioning eyes.

"Never" Julie replied smiling at the old man and reaching for Merlin's hand giving it a squeeze.


End file.
